Scot Peterson, the cowardly cop who hid outside of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, while 19-year-old gunman Nikolas Cruz opened fire inside, just received a “special gift.” It comes three months after seventeen innocent people were killed during the mass shooting which Peterson did nothing to stop.

Surveillance footage showed former school resource deputy Scot Peterson (inset) hiding outside of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during the shooting that unfolded on February 14, 2018 (background) (Photo Credit: Screen Capture/CNN)

On February 14, 19-year-old gunman Nikolas Cruz stormed Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and he fatally shot seventeen unsuspecting students and staff members inside. He injured many others in the massacre which has been described by some of the police officers who responded “as bad as you can imagine.”

In the midst of the carnage which was unfolding inside MSD on that fateful day, Broward County Sheriff’s Deputy Scot Peterson cowered outside of the school, never venturing inside to confront the gunman or help save the innocent students who were being slaughtered.

Peterson was considered a trusted school resource officer at MSD, according to annual reviews of his performance, until the Valentine’s Day tragedy. He was stationed at the high school when Cruz opened fire, but he took cover outside the building instead of doing his job as the shooting unfolded.

Surveillance video showed Peterson waiting outside of MSD as Cruz prowled the halls with an AR-15. The officer was subsequently branded a coward by President Donald Trump, and Sheriff Scott Israel began an investigation into his actions. Israel said that Peterson should have “went in. Addressed the killer. Killed the killer.”

Peterson was vilified when the public learned that he could have stopped Cruz, but instead, chose to protect himself. He resigned and retired just one week after the shooting amid the controversy.

Peterson, a 33-year law enforcement veteran, was the resource deputy stationed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14 when 17 people were killed by gunfire.

As one of the largest mass shootings in modern U.S. history unfolded, Peterson never entered the building where alleged gunman Nikolas Cruz was opening fire and instead took up a position outside the building that was under attack.

Peterson, 55, was widely criticized for his actions and Broward Sheriff Scott Israel opened an internal investigation. The deputy resigned and retired on Feb. 23, “rather than face possible termination.” [Source: Fox News]

If you were furious to hear that Scot Peterson allowed children to die in order to save himself, you’ll be even more livid to learn that he is now being rewarded handsomely for his cowardice, to the tune of $8,702.35 per month.

Many speculated that Peterson had retired so soon after news of his cowardly inaction spread in order to save the hefty pension he had coming. Some even said that, perhaps, he did not confront Cruz during the shooting because he was eligible to retire and did not want to risk his own life so soon before his days of rest and relaxation were about to begin.

Any way you slice it, though, he’s a coward. If you’re not willing to walk into the line of fire, allow someone else to do the job so that innocent lives might be saved.

It appears that those who speculated about Peterson’s sudden retirement were right. Although the investigation into his response — or lack thereof — is ongoing, he has begun receiving his state pension.

He was paid $101,879.03 last year — $75,673.72 in base salary plus overtime and other compensation, according to sheriff’s office records.He’s now sitting pretty in retirement, raking in $8,702.35 per month, courtesy of the taxpayers.

While this is infuriating news for the general public who grieved with the friends and families of the Parkland victims, this new development will undoubtedly hit the parents of the Parkland victims the hardest. They are the ones who have to live with the fact that their children could have been saved if not for Scot Peterson’s selfishness. And they are the ones who are now funding his very comfortable retirement. What a slap in the face.